Will Wainwright Pitch Again? McLaughlin Thinks So, But He’s Not Sure It’ll Be in STL

By Luke Schnake October 1, 2018 3:43 pm

Fans knew during Adam Wainwright’s Friday start it could be his last, but the fact the Cardinals were still mathematically alive took some of that mystique away. We weren’t ready to concede the season, holding onto the hope we’d see Waino and company throw in October.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

So, what now for the legendary ‘Uncle Charlie?’ Will he give it another go? Cardinals FSM broadcaster Dan McLaughlin thinks so and talked it over recently with ‘The Bernie Miklasz Show,’ pointing to Wainwright’s philanthropic efforts as a possible sign.

“My gut tells me from people who were around the club that Wainwright wants to pitch beyond this year,” Danny Mac said. “One of the things to consider with Adam Wainwright is he’s already made a ton of money. We all know that. His life work goes beyond baseball.

“It’s about helping people, and if he can out and make another four or five million bucks…He might say, ‘You know what? I’m going to do this because not only do I feel I can pitch again and I feel good, but I also have a chance to take that money and go make a difference,'” he added. “I know some fans may roll their eyes and say, ‘Yeah, whatever, he’s going to grab the money,’ but he’s not quite that guy. As a matter of fact, he isn’t that guy.”

While McLaughlin believes Wainwright will suit up again, the broadcaster added that doesn’t necessarily it will be for the Cardinals.

“I don’t know. I mean, you’ve got a lot of young guys coming up…Quite frankly, the Cardinals may say it’s time to move on. I don’t know.”

McLaughlin also discussed whether the Cardinals will finally go out and sign a superstar player, which you can read about below followed by the entire segment’s audio:

“To me, when you look at the club they’re not that far away from winning on the field in terms of getting into postseason play. It was their 11th consecutive winning season, but do you need a superstar to keep fans interested in coming to the ballpark? Let’s face it; the Cardinals really haven’t had that since Albert Pujols.

“They had a little bit with Matt Holliday at the tail end, but there hasn’t been that signature superstar that they have invested in. And by all accounts, if you read the various writers that are tied into some of the GM’s and front office personnel, it sounds like [Manny] Machado and [Bryce] Harper are going to get more than what [Giancarlo] Stanton got. So you’re talking big, big money.

“Do the Cardinals want to dip their toe in that? I don’t know, because they’re not far away from winning. However, a fourth consecutive year would not be good and just coming up shy would not be…’just short’ would not be what fans care about. They want to see winning baseball.

“From the baseball perspective on the field, yeah, I think they’re a player short, and in terms of interest with fans and just saying, ‘Hey, let’s buy a ticket to go watch Joe Blow play,’ I still think there’s value in that. I’m sure any club that signs one of these big name free agents would have to do a study on that and what it may mean for them economically. But I think it’s something the Cardinals will explore. I really do.”